LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- The NM State Aggies baseball program used a combined 24 runs to sweep a Saturday doubleheader from the UTRGV Vaqueros at Presley Askew Field.
After taking the opener 12-1, the Aggies (16-25, 13-14 WAC) used a five-run second inning to earn a 12-8 victory in the nightcap over the Vaqueros (22-19, 13-10 WAC). With the victories today, the Aggies have now won five of six overall.
Senior Chris Jefferson fired his sixth complete game of the season in the opener, allowing just one run and two hits over his seven innings of work. In game two, left-hander Sammy Natera pitched five innings to earn his first victory of the season.
Sophomore Cal Villareal provided a spark for the Aggies at the plate, going 6-for-9 in the two games with seven RBIs and four runs scored.
Game One:
It was the Jefferson show in game one for NM State, as the senior righty retired six of his first seven batters.
After a Villareal double and a walk by Ronnie Allen Jr set up runners at first and second with nobody out, Brandon Dieter roped a double down the left field line that scored Villareal.
The Aggies extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third when Allen Jr scored Zerek Saenz and Kevin Jimenez with another double.
After first baseman Angel De La Cruz recorded the lone UTRGV run of the afternoon with a solo shot to right-center, the Aggies responded quickly, scoring seven times in the bottom of the inning.
Britt Graham led off the frame with a single and advanced to second on a Connor Laux hit by the pitch. A Tommy Tabak single loaded the bases with no outs for Saenz, who smoked a single up the middle that scored both Laux and Graham.
After a pitching change and a fielder's choice, a walk from Ethan Mann set up Villareal with a bases loaded chance. The outfielder ripped a 2-1 offering for a two-run single.
Zach Smits pinch hit for Allen Jr and was hit by a pitch setting up another two RBI single, this time from Dieter. Batting as the 10th batter in the inning, Graham capped the seven run frame with an RBI single.
Staked to a 10-1 lead, Jefferson worked around a one-out double and a pair of walks to strand the bases loaded in the top of the fifth.
NM State and UTRGV traded zeros in the bottom of the fifth and top of the sixth, before the Aggies struck for a pair of runs on a Tabak two-RBI single. The knock gave the home side a 12-1 lead.
In the seventh and final inning of game one, Jefferson set the Vaqueros down in order striking out the final two batters of the contest.
Game Two:
UTRGV struck first in the second game of the doubleheader, using a leadoff double by Coleman Grubbs, a flyout and an RBI groundout by Andy Atwood to scratch across the first run of the contest.
Needing an answer, third baseman Kevin Jimenez provided one, launching a two-run bomb to dead center field. The blast was his fourth of season and scored Saenz who led off with a walk.
After the Vaqueros regained the lead 3-2 on an RBI double by Christian Sepulveda and a bunt single from Grubs, the Aggies again found a big inning. Tabak got the frame started when he reached and advanced to third on a fielding error by the Vaqueros left fielder. Another Saenz walk and a wild pitch tied the game at three all.
Jimenez later walk and stole second, setting up a pair of runners in scoring position for Villareal who singled home both runners with two outs. The right fielder advanced to second on a throwing error on the play and eventually scored on an Allen Jr triple.
Following a Vaqueros pitching change, Dieter drove in the fifth and final run of the frame with an RBI single that gave the home team a 7-3 lead.
Looking for a shutdown inning, Natera struck out the side bringing the Aggies back to the plate in the bottom of the third. After Tristian Stacy led off the frame with a triple, Tabak singled him home to give NM State an 8-3 lead.
In the fifth, UTRGV cut the Aggies lead to 8-4 when Grubbs led off with a single and advanced to second and third on a pair of passed balls. The leadoff hitter later scored on a Jesse Fonteboa sacrifice fly.
Neither the Vaqueros nor the Aggies scored for the next three half innings, but NM State eventually erupted for another four runs in the bottom of the seventh. A pair of leadoff walks followed by a Tabak single loaded the bases with nobody out for Saenz who grounded into a fielder's choice where the Vaqueros were able nab the lead runner at the plate.
The play brought up Jimenez with the bases loaded. The infielder walked forcing in a run. Following a strikeout, Villareal crushed a three-run double in the right field corner that chased home the final three NMSU runs.
In the top of the ninth, the Vaqueros used a one-out Aggie error to strike for four unearned runs. The big hit in the sequence was a Fonteboa home run that cut the Aggie advantage to 12-6. After three straight hits cut the NM State lead to just 12-8, Joey Arellano struck out Sepulveda to secure the doubleheader sweep.
AT THE PLATE:
• Allen Jr's triple in the second game was the first of his NM State career.
• Villreal went 4-for-5 in the night cap, drove in five runs and scored once. The right fielder was a combined 6-for-9 on Saturday with seven RBI and four runs scored.
• The redshirt sophomore raised his batting average from .275 to .306 with the strong day.
• Led by Dieter and Villreal the Aggies had six different batters drive in a run, and five different players drive in multiple runs. Dieter drove in three in first game and one in the nightcap.
• Despite failing to record a hit for the seventh time this season (41 games), Saenz scored three runs. The sophomore is hitting .395 on the year.
ON THE MOUND:
• Jefferson's complete game was his sixth of the season and is tied for the most in the nation this season.
• Jefferson earned his fifth victory of the season.
• Natera earned his first career victory. His seven strikeouts are tied for the second most in his career. The lefty struck out a career-best eight at Seattle back on Mar. 26.
• In relief of Natera, Ian Mejia threw three strong innings. The reliever allowed just one hit and struck out a pair.
HC Mike Kirby:
"Before the game I told our guys that they needed to empty the tank from an effort standpoint, and today we did that. The result today showed that our guys gave their all and it was great to pull out the doubleheader sweep. Let's see if we can keep it going tomorrow."
RHP Chris Jefferson:
"The game is all about making adjustments. I saw today that their guys were standing close to the plate, so I kept trying to work them away so they would roll over on the ball. I was very successful at executing that plan and it allowed me to limit their offense. Today was a huge comeback for our defense as compared to last weekend. The team with the fewest number of errors usually wins the game, and today that was true."
UP NEXT:
The Aggies go for the series victory tomorrow afternoon at Noon. Sophomore Cam Blazek will take the ball for the Aggies.
